Some news: Thanks to the great feedback on the monthly editions, The Stoop is expanding its curated neighborhood news sections into both the Sunday and Thursday editions. Events are still the bread and butter, just more neighborhood news content.

Both editions will now feature original content like Stoop Selects, a rotating weekly section where readers can support local businesses and claim deals. So whether you're looking to get your phone screen fixed, snag a new pair of Birkenstocks, or make a pit stop for your pets, you now have a little extra incentive. Thank you to Crate Escape, Cambridge Clogs, and Boston iPhone Repair for being the first to jump on board. These aren't paid promotions, just deals you can take advantage of each week by mentioning The Stoop while also getting to support small businesses. Also new: a Crime & Safety section, pulling from public data across Cambridge and Somerville so you can stay on top of the latest incidents in both cities.

The heat wave is gone, the Round of 16 is ramping up, and Porchfest 2.0 is right around the corner.

Stories ‘Round The Squares

Cambridge Corner

A 32-year-old Cambridge man was fatally shot near Sennott Park early on the Fourth of July. No arrests have been made, and police are asking anyone with information to come forward

Renters in two newly city-owned buildings between Harvard and Porter squares worried they'd be pushed out, but the Housing Authority says nobody is being displaced as the 79 units shift to affordable housing over time

The Alewife garage is slated for demolition whenever the MBTA finds the money, but until then its closed spiral ramp doubles as a five-story graffiti gallery, running from quick tags to full portraits

Some good news for the Charles: river herring swarmed the river this spring and the herons followed, one more sign the water keeps getting cleaner

Somerville Stories

Fireworks night at Trum Field ended with three arrests after police broke up several disturbances. A reported gun turned out to be unfounded, with no firearm located and no shots fired

Justin Long and Kate Bosworth popped into The Neighborhood Restaurant in Union Square, posed with the staff, and left as certified fans of the famous Cream of Wheat

Salt + Stone will reopen at Assembly Row on July 10, five months after a kitchen fire shut it down. Insurance kept most of the staff on payroll through the closure, and a bigger cook line means an expanded menu

First designs dropped for a seven-story, all-affordable building at 297 Medford St near Gilman Square: 50 units, with one option wrapping the ground floor in Portuguese-style tile as a nod to the neighborhood's Azorean roots

Somerville has its own semi-pro soccer club now: Somerville United FC, a nonprofit where nobody pays to play, founded by a Kenyan-born coach who researches malaria vaccines by day. But the real story? A women's side is on the way

Events

Spotlight Of The Week

Mix & Mingle Outdoor Music Series @ The Mix Porter Square, Cambridge - Need some after-work plans? Watch a set, then pick up an instrument yourself. Musicians Playground runs a monthly music night at The Mix Porter Square

HANG AT THE MIX

Monday July 6th

Mahjong Monday @ Kimpton Marlowe Hotel, Cambridge - American Mahjong has quietly become a whole social scene, and Mondays at the Marlowe are where Cambridge plays. Open and guided tables plus mahjong-themed cocktails | $13 • 6:30PM

World Cup Pre-Game Trivia @ Lamplighter CX, Cambridge - Lamplighter swaps its usual Jeopardy night for an hour of World Cup trivia before USA vs Belgium. Stay for the game afterward | FREE • 6:30-7:30PM

Picture + Panel: Seeing Japan @ Boston Figurative Arts Center, Somerville - A monthly series bringing graphic-novel creators in to talk shop. July pairs two artists who've drawn Japan for a conversation on travel, fandom, and outsider curiosity | FREE • 7-8PM

Tuesday July 7th

World Cup Screening: Switzerland vs Colombia @ Capuano Field at Glen Park, Somerville - Catch the match on the big LED screen at Somerville's free outdoor watch party, with live music and food vendors on site | FREE • 3-7PM

Tiny Desk Contest On the Road @ The Sinclair, Cambridge - NPR's Tiny Desk Contest brings its winner to The Sinclair on a national tour. This year's is Cure For Paranoia, a genre-bending rap group, plus two local openers | Cost TBD • 8PM

Wednesday July 8th

Davis Square Farmers Market @ Davis Square, Somerville - Skip the supermarket midweek and hit the weekly farmers and makers set up steps from Davis | FREE • 12-6PM

What? Trivia @ Portico Brewing, Somerville - Weekly Wednesday trivia at Portico, where teams of up to eight compete for gift cards ($35 for 1st, $25 for 2nd) across movies, music, and current events | FREE • 6-8PM

The Stoop’s Pick

CX World Cup Watch Party (France vs Morocco) @ The Common at CX, Cambridge - Touch grass and catch the quartefinal match at the Common + plenty of activities like lawn games and music to kill time before the game starts. Lawn chairs or blankets recommended

WATCH THE WORLD CUP

Thursday July 9th

CX World Cup Watch Party: France vs Morocco @ The Common at CX, Cambridge - Touch grass for the quarterfinal as Cambridge Crossing screens it live on The Common, with food vendors, music, and lawn games before kickoff. Bring a chair or blanket | FREE • 3PM, kickoff 4PM

World Cup Watch Party: France vs Morocco @ Urban Park Roof Garden, Cambridge - The quarterfinals are here and Kendall's roof garden puts the match on the big screen. Go early for a good spot and bring a blanket | FREE • 4-7PM

Urban Park July Beer Garden @ Urban Park Roof Garden, Cambridge - Drink for a good cause on Kendall's rooftop. Lamplighter pours, $5 a token, and proceeds go to local charities. Free hot dogs and pretzels too | $7 • 4:30-9PM

Mix & Mingle Outdoor Music Series @ The Mix Porter Square, Cambridge - Most concerts you just watch, but The Mix lets you join in. Live sets from Musicians Playground, then a Learn & Play session where you pick up an instrument | FREE • 5-7PM

Might Delete Later @ Remnant Brewing, Somerville - Seven writers read from projects they haven't finished yet. The whole point is sharing works-in-progress in a supportive room, readings short enough to hear several | FREE • 7-9PM

SomerMovieFest @ Lincoln Park, Somerville - Somerville's free outdoor movie series is back, opening with A Minecraft Movie at Lincoln Park and running Thursdays through mid-August over at Seven Hills Park | FREE • at dusk

Weekend Sneak Peek

Cambridge Porchfest @ Cambridgeport, Cambridge - Cambridge looks to match Somerville’s Porchfest energy with its second annual Porchfest ever across porches, stoops, and driveaways throughout Cambridgeport. Last year’s city debut pulled 80+ performers across 25 spots and this year looks to top that

PREP FOR PORCHFEST

Wimbledon Final Watch Party @ Bow Market, Somerville - Take a break from the World Cup action as Bow Market screens the Wimbledon men's final outdoors in the courtyard, brunch-party style. Dress the part and swing by for Pimm's Cups and surprises from Bow Market courtyard shops

CATCH THE CUP AT THE COURTYARD

Around The Corner

After Dark: Rivers @ MIT Museum, Cambridge - Take a break from the heat and step into MIT Museum's monthly adult after-hours night, themed around local rivers this July. Included will be a cash bar, live music, and hands-on science, from a VR river-herring migration to building a floating wetland

HIT THE GALLERIES

Stoop Selects

Stoop Selects
JULY 6-13 ONLY Mention ‘The Stoop’ to redeem
 
10%
OFF
  Porter Square
Comfort footwear since 1987. Birkenstocks, Blundstones, Sanitas, and the good weird socks. They resole, too.
→  10% off your purchase
 
FREE
SCREEN
PROTECTOR
  Harvard Square
Family-run Apple repair since 2009. Cracked screens, dead batteries, board-level fixes, most done while you wait.
→  Free screen protector with any repair
 
20%
OFF
  Off Concord Ave
Dog and cat shop packed with food, toys, treats and gear, plus dog walking. The Walden spot is retail, not daycare.
→  20% off your order (Walden location only)
One offer per customer, per visit

Crime & Safety

The Stoop - Crime & Safety
A weekly recap of the Cambridge and Somerville police logs, covering last week, June 22 to 28. Because Somerville reports arrests only once a week, both cities are shown for the same seven-day window.
Cambridge
Incidents Per day · June 22 – 28
Mon 6/22
   
25
Tue 6/23
   
16
Wed 6/24
 
33
Thu 6/25
   
23
Fri 6/26
   
21
Sat 6/27
   
29
Cambridge published no daily log for Sunday, June 28.
Across the six logged days, Cambridge recorded 147 incidents and 16 arrests. Theft was by far the most common report, led by bicycles.
Notable
On Saturday afternoon, a person was slashed with a knife by an unknown assailant at the Central Square bus stop and sustained wounds police described as superficial. No arrest was made. It was one of several weapon-related reports that day, which also included glass bottles thrown at a person on Cambridge Street.
Bicycle theft ran through every day of the week, with more than a dozen bikes, mopeds, and e-bikes taken from racks, backyards, and storage rooms at values from $70 to $3,000. Package thefts from porches and lobbies were the next most frequent report. Financial scams also recurred, among them a $6,200 apartment-rental deposit for a unit that did not exist, a $1,500 online-service payment, and an attempted extortion demanding $40,000 over a falsely reported kidnapping. On two occasions, officers from the Explosive Ordnance Unit were called to inspect unattended packages; both were found not to be hazardous.
Somerville
Arrests Per day · June 22 – 28
Mon 6/22
 
 3
Tue 6/23
 
 0
Wed 6/24
   
2
Thu 6/25
   
1
Fri 6/26
   
1
Sat 6/27
   
1
Sun 6/28
 
 0
Somerville recorded 8 arrests over the week, most of them in the first half.
Notable
Following weeks of drug-use complaints around Davis Square, Somerville police ran a plainclothes detail in the area. Officers identified a man wanted on three warrants and previously connected to a series of break-ins and bicycle thefts near Day Street. He was stopped near Citizens Bank on Elm Street carrying bolt cutters, flashlights, a fixed-blade knife, and a substance officers suspect was fentanyl. He faces drug, weapon, burglary, and larceny charges.
The week's other arrests included three shoplifting cases, two assaults (one involving a dangerous weapon, one against a person over 60 or disabled), and a daytime break-in.
Somerville's log excludes arrests involving juveniles, domestic violence, and sexual assault, as required by state law.

Want to partner or advertise with The Stoop? Whether you’re a local business, event organizer, creator, or anyting else, you can now reach out to [email protected] with any inquiries.

JOIN THE STOOP

Keep Reading